Summit Credit Union Reports $87 Million in 2025 Member Financial Benefits, Advancing Longstanding Focus on Women’s Financial Security

MADISON, WI, October 19, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Summit Credit Union, a Wisconsin member-owned financial cooperative with $8.7 billion in assets, more than 284,445 members and 58 locations, reported $87 million in financial benefits to members for the 12 months ending December 31, 2025, compared with doing business with an average Wisconsin bank. That equates to about $676 per household, according to a customized analysis by America’s Credit Unions Economics & Statistics Department.

The 91-year-old credit union has also spent the past two decades focusing on helping women build financial security. Women are more likely to retire in poverty, not because of poor choices, but built-in barriers. Income disparities, caregiving responsibilities and longer lifespans all play a role [1]. And financial systems aren’t designed for the realities of women’s lives.

Designing Financial Progress Around Real Life

“Our purpose is to help women and their families build long-term financial security and avoid poverty in retirement,” says Kim Sponem, President and CEO of Summit. “It’s about so much more than access to products. It’s about having the clarity and trusted guidance to act with confidence and build the future they want.” 

Many people don’t realize how much their financial trajectory can change until they see a different path forward. For one Summit member, a single mother of six, that shift was life-changing. “Instead of feeling like I was drowning,” she shares, “Summit helped me feel something else — control. I wasn’t just taking control of my finances. I was taking control of me.” 

When people keep more of what they earn, momentum grows — and so do the possibilities available to them.

Last year, Summit returned $87 million [2] in financial benefits to members compared to doing business with an average Wisconsin bank — about $676 per household. The credit union is ranked first [3] in delivering more value back to its members than any other credit union in its asset group nationwide.

The real measure isn’t savings alone. It’s what those savings make possible.

Expanding Access to Wealth

“When women build wealth and create more opportunities for themselves, such as homeownership, the ripple effects show up everywhere — in families, businesses and communities,” says Sponem. 

Summit is the No. 1 Mortgage Lender in Wisconsin [4].

For many women, buying a home is about what comes next: stability, options and a stronger future. Yet women purchasing their first home typically make smaller down payments than men [5] and greater financial and personal sacrifices [6] to achieve it, in part because 80% [7] of single-parent households are led by women. 

For Jaclyn and her family, homeownership felt like a distant goal. Working with a Summit financial coach, they identified practical steps that turned it into something achievable. “We uncovered where we could make meaningful changes to own a home,” Jaclyn says. 

“We’re not just here for a transaction,” Sponem says. “When you design around how women move through life and experience money, you create better outcomes for everyone.” 

That impact extends to communities and local economies. Summit has been the No. 1 SBA Lender among credit unions in Wisconsin for 15 years [8].

After two decades of running a boutique, Christine faced rising rent, uncertainty and the possibility of closing her business. When her longtime bank denied financing to purchase a nearby property, she turned to Summit. She found something different: belief, respect and encouragement. With her daughter, she secured financing from Summit and purchased the property. She credits the experience with creating a new chapter for both her family and business — one built on ownership, stability and opportunity.  

The Ripple Effect of Financial Confidence

“Financial security isn’t built in a single moment,” Sponem says. “It’s built through the decisions people make over time and the opportunities they create for themselves along the way.”

For more than 90 years, Summit has helped members build wealth, achieve goals and strengthen long-term financial security. It’s a belief rooted in a simple idea: When more people see a path forward, more becomes possible.

Notes and Sources 

1. “The Retirement Income Gap Leaves Women Aged 65+ at Higher Risk of Poverty than Men,” Institute for Women’s Policy Research, May 2024.
2. Savings over the average cost of doing business with a for-profit banking institution in WI. Your savings may vary based on your creditworthiness and other factors. America’s Credit Unions Economics & Statistics Department, customized analysis of member benefits for Summit Credit Union, for 12 months ending December 31, 2025.
3. Callahan & Associates Return of the Member report, Q1-Q4 2025.
4. The Wisconsin’s #1 Mortgage Lender designation is based on the number of loans in 2024, gathered from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data compiled annually by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The results of the data were obtained through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website. LEI: 254900NTAC4H10MGSU23.
5. “The housing gender gap: Why women still face roadblocks in buying homes and building home equity,” Bankrate, 2025.
6. National Association of Realtors, 2026.
7. United States Census Bureau, 2022.
8. SBA Lender of the Year Award for Credit Unions as awarded by the Small Business Administration of Wisconsin in 2025.

About Summit Credit Union

Established in 1935, Summit Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative. Summit holds $8.7 billion in assets and has more than 284,445 members and 975 employees across 58 locations throughout Wisconsin. Since 2002, Kim Sponem has been CEO & President of Summit Credit Union, formerly known as CUNA Credit Union/Great Wisconsin Credit Union. For more information, visit summitcreditunion.com.

Media Contact

Mary Fanning-Penny
mary.fanning-penny@summitcreditunion.com